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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Trump Wants To Combat Marijuana

Donald Trump

Over the course of the past few years, eight states have legalized recreational marijuana while thirty others have legalized it for medicinal use. Unfortunately, it looks like the U.S. government is trying to change that as a new report indicates the Trump Administration has secretly formed a committee to combat the positive narrative surrounding marijuana.

According to Buzzfeed, the Trump administration has recruited fourteen federal agencies and the Drug Enforcement Administration to give "data demonstrating the most significant negative trends" about marijuana use and the "threats" it could have on America.

The committee's records reveal that officials are only asking for marijuana to portrayed negatively, despite what data and research says. Ironically, the committee had complaints that the narrative around marijuana is "unfairly biased in favor of the drug."

"The prevailing marijuana narrative in the U.S. is partial, one-sided and inaccurate," a memo from the committee reads.

Another memo read, "Staff believe that if the administration is to turn the tide on increasing marijuana use there is an urgent need to message the facts about the negative impacts of marijuana use, production, and trafficking on national health safety, and security."

Clearly, the Trump administration is having trouble trying to bring back the stigma surrounding marijuana.

"We are asking each agency to provide information on marijuana," White House ONDCP staff member Hayley C. Conklin wrote in an e-mail.

Since the initial report came out, the Trump administration hasn't denied the existence of the committee. Instead, they've said that they wouldn't discuss the way the policies are made for "Trump's agenda."